The Elegantly Photographed Origami Animals of Ross Symons

It isn’t every day that one gets to meet a full-time origamist. Get acquainted with Ross Symons, a South African artist known for making his own paper creations and also beautifully folding single-sheet models of other designers, like Quentin Trollip and Jo Nakashima. Elephant Hide paper is something Symons loves to use; a sturdy material often used for book binding. He admits that one of the biggest challenges is finding the right type of paper for each model. “If I’m folding a bulky animal like a rhino, then I’d use something thicker, but for an insect, I’d use tissue paper so I can get very thin lines/folds for the legs and antennae.” Many of his paper sculptures are made for the fun of it, while others are commissioned pieces (including short films) for brands like Adidas, Red Bull, Christian Dior, and Old Khaki.

Springbok model by Quentin Trollip, origami by Symons.

Swan designed by Sipho Mabona and ducklings by Hoàng Tiên Quyêt. Origami by Ross Symons.

Kangaroos designed by Jo Nakashima; origami by Ross Symons.

Elephant designed by Quentin Trollip, origami by Symons.

Elephant designed by Quentin Trollip, origami by Symons.

Adriana is the Webby-winning designer and editor-in-chief of Scene360 magazine. She's created successful projects over the course of 20 years in the fields of art, design, fashion and web. Currently dividing her time between Lisbon and San Francisco. Follow the author @Instagram Facebook and view more articles.